Onomatopoeic Words: Humans

Humans are accountable for an awesome array of onomatopoeia, from the sounds we make when we're breathing and eating, to those we make when expressing our emotions, to, of course, the downright vulgar!

belch
(of a person) make a loud spasmodic sound when emitting noise from the mouth
verb: Please don’t belch at the table. I’m still eating.
noun: Gary drained the last of his beer and emitted a loud belch.

blurt
(of a person) speak suddenly and impulsively
verb: Unable to control himself any longer, he blurted out his secret.

boom
(of a person) speak in a deep, loud, angry voice
verb: ‘Go to your room!’ boomed his father.
noun: I could hear the boom of his voice from three floors below.
See also: Nature

chatter
(of a person) make quick clicking sounds with teeth due to fear or cold
verb: Our teeth were chattering as we stood outside in the freezing rain.
noun: I could hear the chatter of my teeth as the armed soldier approached my vehicle.

chomp
(of a person) make a noise when chewing vigorously
verb: Alice chomped on her hot dog as we waited for the game to start.
noun: His loud chomps distracted me as I tried to read my paper.
See also: Food

clap
(of a person) make a noise by striking one's hands together, often repeatedly
verb: The audience clapped when the comedian came on stage.
noun: Let's give a big clap for those who helped to make this play such a success.

hiss
(of a person) make a sound like a long ‘s’ to express anger
verb: ‘What are you doing here?’ she hissed at him, unable to control her rage.
noun: I knew from her frequent hisses that she was not in a good mood.
See also: Animals

hum
(of a person) make a low continuous sound, often without opening one’s mouth
verb: The happy child hummed as she put away her toys.
noun: The cleaner’s constant humming distracted me as I tried to study.
See also: Objects

munch
(of a person) make a sound when eating steadily and loudly
verb: Peter munched his biscuits whilst I helped him with his homework.
noun: We had a munch on some crackers while we waited for the show to start.

rumble
(of a person) make a low growling sound, usually to express hunger
verb: As lunchtime drew nearer, my stomach started to rumble.
noun: His stomach let out a rumble, reminding him of his hunger.
See also: Nature

shush
(of a person) make a whistling noise with one’s teeth to request silence
verb: She put her hand to her mouth to shush the child.
noun: I silenced him with a shush.

snap
(of a person) make a sudden, impatient remark
verb: When Peter asked where the biscuits were, Alice snapped "How should I know?".
adjective: After three hours stuck in traffic, she was snappy and agitated.
See also: Animals, Food, Nature

sniff
(of a person) make a sound drawing air up through the nose
verb: 'Can you smell smoke?’ Ann asked, sniffing the air around her.
noun: Unable to tolerate Peter's sniffs any longer, she told him to go and blow his nose.
See also: Animals

snort
(of a person) make an explosive with the nose usually to express laughter or indignation
verb: The old man snorted with laughter after telling us his joke.
noun: Instead of making comment, Frederick gave a snort of disgust.
See also: Animals

spit
(of a person) make a noise when ejecting saliva from the mouth
verb: The gum had lost its flavour, so I had to spit it out.
noun: I could see the spit forming at the corner of his mouth.
See also: Food

squeal
(of a person) make a loud, high-pitched sound usually to show surprise or excitement
verb: The girl squealed with delight when she heard they were getting a puppy.
noun: Mary let out a squeal when her brother sprayed her with his water gun.
See also: Animals

whimper
(of a child) make weak intermittent crying sounds to show pain or distress
verb: The young boy started to whimper as soon as I shut the door.
noun: Sam let out a whimper of pain as I put the antiseptic on his cut.
See also: Animals